Medical marijuana will have its day in court

Monday

Jul 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2012 at 2:12 PM

After a decade of legal infighting, the federal government's decision to classify marijuana as having no medical value will be heard in court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear arguments in the case, Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, on Oct. 16th.

After a decade of legal infighting, the federal government's decision to classify marijuana as having no medical value will be heard in court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear arguments in the case, Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, on Oct. 16th.

"This is a rare opportunity for patients to confront politically motivated decision-making with scientific evidence of marijuana's medical efficacy," said Joe Elford, chief counsel for Safe Access. The DEA denied the original petition in 2002.

Medical marijuana advocates claim it is treated unlike other drugs. In the past year, the U.S. Justice Department has aggressively prosecuted medical marijuana usage in several states.

There are 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, with medical marijuana laws. Ohio could have one or two medical marijuana issues on the statewide ballot next year.

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